The number of teenagers leaving school early has jumped. Almost one in five school leavers in 2021 was under the age of 17, the highest figure in a decade.
One of the worst-affected areas is Taranaki where the percentage of early leavers has jumped from 18 to 20 percent in most years to 26 percent last year.
New Plymouth's Spotswood College principal Nicola Ngarewa spoke to Susie Ferguson.
